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26th June 2016, 11:39 AM
#1
Cement Boxes
I was a mere AB at sea, so I know nothing on ship structure, in fact until I joined this site, I had no idea of cement boxes to cure leaks , drilling a hole at the end of each fracture etc, but always remember in a bad seaway on many occasions at sea hearing the creaking and the shuddering of the ship, watching the sea break over the forward hatches , initially canvas and wooden boards, and thinking if those hatches gave way we would have sunk like a stone, but happy days regardless, kt
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26th June 2016, 12:22 PM
#2
Cement Boxes
Originally Posted by
Keith Tindell
I was a mere AB at sea, kt
Keith, there's nothing 'mere' about you being an AB. Any rank of seafarer is a professional in their own department I'm sure you will agree,and every ship needed every one of those crew to contribute to the efficient safe manning of the vessel.
Today,while seafarers professionalism is probably not in doubt,the multi-tasking roles they must perform and minimal crews,a lot of that reliance on other's professionalism must have been taken over by computers; whilst before there had always been others to rely on and pool their knowledge and experience they now don't seem to have that option.
I suppose it's nice to be British trained,but then again lack of professionalism and qualifications never seemed to stop some other nationalities from succeeding in their maritime trading.British merchant vessels didn't exactly have a low or blemish free accident record either,even allowing for the fact there were many more of our ships registered back then. (Sigh).....
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 27th June 2016 at 03:35 AM.
Reason: Change Title to Cement Boxes
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26th June 2016, 12:52 PM
#3
Cement Boxes
Keith regards cement boxes and holes in steel plating and much more, did not come from books but from ABs and Chippys and the likes. This is from where all knowledge came from. With the demise of shipping and such seafarers such knowledge of how things were done with lack of shore amenities will be lost and probably already are.JWS
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 27th June 2016 at 03:34 AM.
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26th June 2016, 01:48 PM
#4
Cement Boxes
Originally Posted by
j.sabourn
Keith regards cement boxes and holes in steel plating and much more, did not come from books but from ABs and Chippys and the likes. This is from where all knowledge came from. With the demise of shipping and such seafarers such knowledge of how things were done with lack of shore amenities will be lost and probably already are.JWS
###put a cement box in a hains boat in basrah ...after taking half the quayside away .......luckily we were carrying blue circle cement from london ......dont know but surmise it was utilised.......cappy
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 27th June 2016 at 03:33 AM.
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26th June 2016, 02:53 PM
#5
Cement Boxes
I spent most of my time as an AB on general cargo ships, and really enjoyed every moment, it's just that I never came across a cement box, not to mean that I was on a ship that never had one, just that it is obviously a gap in my knowledge. I was very lucky to have served with some of the older guys from the war, so learned a lot in a short time. We were used to wire splicing, stripping and maintaining all the running gear, working aloft etc, all probably useless information now, kt
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 27th June 2016 at 03:33 AM.
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26th June 2016, 03:48 PM
#6
Cement Boxes
Happy days , cement boxes kept most of Everards' fleet afloat
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 27th June 2016 at 03:32 AM.
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27th June 2016, 06:44 AM
#7
Re: Cement Boxes
Cement boxes, would they be any relationship to cement boots?
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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27th June 2016, 07:07 AM
#8
Re: Cement Boxes
When trading up to Port Churchill on the Hudson Bay forget how many bags of cement we carried down the Fore peak store but was quite a lot. There was always the possibility of being holed in that area by ice. May have been the insurers who insisted on carrying, cant remember. JWS
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27th June 2016, 08:22 AM
#9
Re: Cement Boxes
#7.. Could be utilized I suppose as a poor mans chastity belt John. JWS
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27th June 2016, 03:31 PM
#10
Re: Cement Boxes
Only ever had to put up one cement box when at sea and that was on a Beaver boat when we dunshed the tie up wall on the first American lock going up the St. Lawrence seaway and put a gash in the hull in way of no.1 hatch. T he American police were there with weapons drawn the minute we tried to go shore to examine the damage and the Seaway authorities would only allow us to proceed after we had fitted the cement box.
Every ship I sailed on (mostly tankers) always carried some timbers and sufficient cement to make up a cement box and when I ordered timber, cement and an electric saw when Master in chemical tankers there was no questioning from the owners, just from the daft mate (Latvian) who could not understand what I was ordering this stuff for until I explained it all to him.
Somewhere in the dim parts of my memory a seem to recall that in Lloyds Classification requirements in addition to carrying sufficient spares for the main engine etc., there was a requirement to carry damage control equipment which was basically the stuff needed to build a cement box.
rgds
JA
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